It is well known to use metal-loaded polymer sheets in the production of protective, radiation attenuation garments for workers likely to be exposed to x-ray radiation or for the subjects, e.g., patients, exposed to x-radiation. The most commonly used metal continues to be lead. However, it is also recognized that lead has certain properties, including its toxicity, which renders it less than the optimum filler material for polymers. As a result, other materials have been proposed to be used either as partial or total replacement for lead. Such materials include, particularly, barium sulfate, or other barium salts, tin, boron or its compounds, bismuth compounds, or other heavy metals, including antimony, bismuth, gold, thallium, tantalum, uranium, zirconium, or non-metals, such as iodine. Barium sulfate has been a greatly preferred attenuant, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,245,195, 4,938,233, 5,801,807, and 4,203,886. It has also been known to use combinations of barium sulfate with, for example, a bismuth salt, tungsten salt, tin powder, aluminum powder, especially where the barium sulfate is at least 50% of the x-ray attenuating component.
A wide variety of polymeric sheet materials have also previously been used as the substrate or matrix for the metal loading. Such polymers include thermoplastic materials, such as polyolefins, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, vinyl polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride or vinyl acetate copolymers, acrylic polymers, such as polymethylenthacrylate, or thermoset polymers or elastomers, such as silicones, urethane polymers, or other elastomeric materials, rubbery polymers, including SBR rubber (stylene-butadiene rubber), styrene-isoprene rubber, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, butyl rubber and the like, or epoxy polymers.